A business-park client asked us about two headaches: watering bills rising each summer while the beds still looked parched. Eighteen months on, metered use has fallen 40% — and the grounds look better than ever. Here is what we changed.
1. We gave every bed its own watering
Before, one timer fed every border. We regrouped the planting into three watering bands — thirsty lawn and seasonal colour, steady shrubs, and rain-only local drifts — each with its own drip run and timing. The local zone now lives on rainfall alone.
2. We mulched generously
A 7cm bark blanket slashed surface drying and smothered the weeds drinking the rest. Mulch remains the cheapest watering fix going: about a dollar per square metre, topped up yearly.
3. We swapped the plant list
Out went thirsty seasonal rotations; in came waving grasses, echinacea, salvias and deep-rooted local shrubs. After a single settling summer on drip, most of these beds now sail through hot spells unaided.
- Survey first: half of most sites' water falls where no roots feed.
- Drip outdoes spray: near 90% reaches roots, against barely 60% for sprinklers in breeze.
- Water deeply but seldom to coax roots downwards.
Thrifty watering comes standard on all Oakenroot schemes — explore our workplace landscaping or request a water check.